If you’ve made your mind up to go ahead with a breast implant exchange to downsize your implants, here are some important tips and factors to consider first:
Make Sure You’re Sure
In the weeks or months following breast augmentation surgery, while women are still adjusting to their new bust size, it’s common to have second thoughts about your larger breasts. Post-op swelling may not yet have dissipated, causing breasts to look larger and higher on the chest than anticipated. Plus, it takes time for your body to adjust to moving around with larger, and maybe more cumbersome, breasts. And the mind may take ever longer than the body to adjust to a new body image and any extra attention you may be receiving.
If you’ve considered the above points and still wish to go ahead with a breast implant exchange, the next crucial step is to pick a qualified, experienced plastic surgeon to perform the procedure.
Pick a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
According to the industry leader in plastic surgery, ASPS: “Breast implant revision surgery is not a standard or routine procedure and needs to be tailored specifically to the patient’s goals and desires. Therefore, this surgery should be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon who is well-trained and experienced in all types of breast surgery and who will listen to the patient’s goals and desires and will develop a surgical plan specifically to address all of the issues at the time of surgery.” So where do you start?
Start with a Consultation
Just like your breast augmentation surgery, you will start by scheduling a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon, like Dr. Bermudez. During your consultation, you will discuss your goals for your breast implant exchange surgery, including the size you wish to downsize to, whether or not you wish to change your implant type (replacing saline with gel-filled implants, for example), and how you want your “new” breasts to look in shape and position. This is also a good time to discuss any discomfort or complications you may be experiencing with your implants. All of this information will allow Dr. Bermudez to tailor the surgery to your body and surgery goals.
Discuss Your Implant Options
Keep in mind that if it’s been a few years since your breast augmentation surgery, breast implant technology has changed. There are likely new implant types with new fillings, new shapes, and new silhouettes for you to choose from. This includes the gel-filled, or “gummy bear,” implants Dr. Bermudez offers, which are filled with a thick, cohesive gel that looks and feels like natural breast tissue. Dr. Bermudez also offers the latest in saline implant technology, the Ideal Implant. This innovative implant has a layered structure with two separate, saline-filled chambers, giving it a natural feel while preventing folding and wrinkling.
Another option that is available is to remove your implants and exchange them with your own fat, a procedure called autologous fat grafting (AFT). Dr. Bermudez is one of the few surgeons in the San Francisco Bay Area that performs this surgery on a regular basis. This option can eliminate the long-term risks of implants and still give you a natural-looking augmentation.
Consider a Breast Lift
Decreasing breast volume by reducing implant size could result in breast sag, especially if the breast skin and tissue don’t contract enough after implant reduction. This and other reasons might lead Dr. Bermudez to recommend a breast lift procedure along with your breast implant exchange or AFT; talk to Dr. Bermudez during your consultation to find out what he recommends. The benefit of having both procedures performed at once is that you get the benefits of both surgeries—smaller, perkier breasts—and only one recovery period!
Learn More About Breast Implant Exchange
Talk to Dr. Bermudez about your goals for breast implant exchange surgery by scheduling a consultation. Call us at (415) 712-1800.
